/
Virtru’s Shannon Vaughn Claims Military Missions Should Implement Data-Centric Cybersecurity
Published on
Virtru’s Shannon Vaughn Claims Military Missions Should Implement Data-Centric Cybersecurity

Data-centric cybersecurity and automated classification can help the U.S. military achieve battlespace dominance due to their ability to protect information regardless of its location or users, Shannon Vaughn, general manager of Virtru Federal and U.S. Army Reserve officer, wrote in an article in C4ISRNET.

In his opinion piece, Vaughn talks about the emergence of data dominance as one of the most critical elements of military missions, and how non-conventional cyber defense is the ideal approach moving forward.

To implement a data-centric approach, the military must classify and tag their information according to level of sensitivity. Effective tagging and classification can be leveraged by mission teams to control the access and use of their information, giving them built-in security controls instead of device-based protection, according to Vaughn.

Mission teams should utilize a combination of attribute-based access control, or ABAC, and automated classification and tagging to streamline and expedite the process. Vaughn recommended ABAC that is enabled by the Trust Data Format standard, which features military-grade encryption and is approved by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

/
3 Agencies Propose Rule for Cyber Contractual Requirements for Unclassified Federal Info Systems
Published on
3 Agencies Propose Rule for Cyber Contractual Requirements for Unclassified Federal Info Systems

The General Services Administration, NASA and the Department of Defense are seeking feedback on a proposed rule that intends to standardize cybersecurity contractual requirements for unclassified federal information systems as part of the implementation of a section within the 2021 cybersecurity executive order.

The proposed rule outlines cybersecurity procedures, policies and requirements for contractor services to build, implement, maintain or operate a FIS, including policies for using cloud and non-cloud computing services, according to a Federal Register notice published Tuesday.

“This rule underscores that compliance with these requirements is material to eligibility and payment under Government contracts,” the notice reads.

The proposed policy, which was introduced as an amendment to the Federal Acquisition Regulation, will apply to the acquisition of commercial products and services.

For FIS using non-cloud computing services, the proposed regulation details requirements for records management and government access, assessments, specification of additional security and privacy controls and cyber supply chain risk management, among others.

Comments on the proposed rule are due Dec. 4.

OPM Notifies Agencies of Plan to Implement Continuous Vetting for Non-Sensitive Public Trust Population
Published on
OPM Notifies Agencies of Plan to Implement Continuous Vetting for Non-Sensitive Public Trust Population

The Office of Personnel Management has issued a memorandum informing federal agencies of its plan to replace periodic reinvestigations with continuous vetting for non-sensitive public trust positions.

Full enrollment of the non-sensitive public trust population into CV is expected to kick off in fiscal year 2024, according to the memo signed Tuesday by OPM Director Kiran Ahuja.

In accordance with a 2017 executive order, CV will apply to non-sensitive positions that are designated at high and moderate risk levels, including federal employees in the competitive service, personnel in the excepted service, personnel at federal contractors and non-appropriated fund employees at the Department of Defense, according to an overview of the policy.

Federal News Network reported the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency started a pilot program in June to gather lessons learned before kicking off broader personnel enrollment into CV procedures.

OPM is calling agencies to start considering how they will implement CV for the non-sensitive public trust population and collaborate with their authorized investigative service providers as they work on implementation plans.

“Until agencies begin enrollment of their non-sensitive public trust populations into continuous vetting, they must continue to initiate reinvestigations for individuals occupying these positions in accordance with existing policy and established protocol,” the memo reads.

OPM said doing so will enable agencies to prevent any delays in mobility for government employees or applicants and achieve compliance with regulatory requirements.

Senate Bill to Use USPS Authentication Services to Combat Identity Fraud
Published on
Senate Bill to Use USPS Authentication Services to Combat Identity Fraud

Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., have introduced legislation that would allow the U.S. Postal Service to provide identity verification and related services to the commercial sector to combat identity fraud stemming from artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes.

The Post Office Services for Trustworthy Identity Act of 2023 would enable the USPS to offer in-person identity proofing services and charge fees as necessary to cover such services, Wyden’s office said Monday.

The POST ID Act would also allow USPS to issue authenticators such as physical security keys to verified individuals for future interactions and enroll them in digital accounts or systems.

In-person proofing is resistant to many forms of fraud and abuse as it requires authenticators to verify an individual’s identity using physical credentials.

“The Postal Service already provides in-person identity proofing services when Americans need to get a passport, and it’s only natural that the private sector also be able to leverage those services when companies need a way to verify someone’s identity in person,” said Jeremy Grant, coordinator of the Better Identity Coalition.

/
Space Force Takes Over Responsibility for Joint Tactical Ground Station Mission
Published on
Space Force Takes Over Responsibility for Joint Tactical Ground Station Mission

The U.S. Space Force officially assumed responsibility for the U.S. Army’s Joint Tactical Ground Station missile warning system mission on Sunday, Oct. 1.

Space Delta 4 at Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora, Colorado, will oversee the JTAGS mission until Space Operations Command formally establishes the 5th Space Warning Squadron, SpOC said Monday.

JTAGS are space ground systems designed to receive, process and transmit infrared data derived from overhead sensors and satellite data to warfighters and combatant commanders, providing them with real-time warning on ballistic missile launches.

In August 2022, the Army transferred the military satellite communications mission to the Space Force, marking the consolidation of all Department of Defense’s satcom functions under a single service branch.

/
DHS S&T Undersecretary Dimitri Kusnezov Discusses Initiatives to Commemorate Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Published on
DHS S&T Undersecretary Dimitri Kusnezov Discusses Initiatives to Commemorate Cybersecurity Awareness Month

The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate is working with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency on multiple projects to protect the country’s cyber systems and networks, S&T Undersecretary Dimitri Kusnezov said.

The directorate is marking the beginning of Cybersecurity Awareness Month with initiatives on shared intelligence resilience, identity proofing technologies and training tools for identifying malicious activity and actors.

According to Kusnezov, S&T’s Cybersecurity Threats Technology Center is leading the Shared Intelligence Resilience project, which will use artificial intelligence and machine learning to help organizations and distributed systems identify and address IT vulnerabilities. The institute is working on another AI study aimed at leveraging human-machine teaming to deter the adversarial use of AI in zero trust platforms.

The directorate’s Biometric and Identity Technology Center is investigating the effectiveness and security of smartphone-based identity proofing technologies in distinguishing legitimate users from impostors. BITC is collaborating with several agencies including the Transportation Security Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Homeland Security Investigations Forensic Laboratory,

On Feb. 28, 2024, the Potomac Officers Club will host its fifth Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit to showcase the latest technologies and bring together experts and vendors in the field of AI. Register as early as now to take part in the event.

POC - 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit
/
Agencies Push for Federal Acquisition Regulation Amendment to Include New SBA Contract Protest Rules
Published on
Agencies Push for Federal Acquisition Regulation Amendment to Include New SBA Contract Protest Rules

A proposed amendment to the Federal Acquisition Regulation would reflect policy changes made by the Small Business Administration regarding protest submission requirements for multiple-award contract set-asides and reserves.

The Department of Defense, NASA and the General Services Administration are pushing for the amendment, which would include SBA’s new rules to specify the size or socioeconomic status protests for such contracts, according to a notice posted Tuesday on Federal Register.

SBA recently revised its 13 Code of Federal Regulations to clarify the thresholds of size protests. Aside from multi-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity set asides and reserves, the regulatory changes also affect multiple-award task order contracts

SBA’s rule does not apply to task orders or blanket purchase agreements that were booked under a Federal Supply Schedule.

The agencies are accepting comments to the proposed FAR amendment until Dec. 4.

/
NASCIO-Accenture Study Says Majority of State CIOs Expedite Cloud Adoption Efforts
Published on
NASCIO-Accenture Study Says Majority of State CIOs Expedite Cloud Adoption Efforts

A study by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers and Accenture has found that 88 percent of state CIOs are accelerating their adoption of cloud services across operational domains.

NASCIO and Accenture surveyed 43 state CIOs and conducted in-depth interviews with a subset of state information technology leaders in April for the study and found that 74 percent of respondents said they consider security as the cloud’s most important benefit, according to a joint release published Tuesday.

The report showed that 30 percent of state CIOs have completed a cloud roadmap and 70 percent of respondents are developing strategies for cloud adoption.

Sixty percent of organizations have integrated cloud adoption into their process for enterprise IT governance.

According to the study, the adoption of hybrid and multicloud environments has become common among state governments and 53 percent of state CIOs said lack of personnel and workforce skill shortages are preventing their organizations from implementing cloud platforms.

Accenture and NASCIO revisited a 2021 study on state agencies’ cloud migration efforts, enabling the two organizations to establish a baseline for assessing the maturity of state governments’ cloud adoption.

“This report looks at progress that states have made in the past two years and recommendations for further progress,” said Doug Robinson, executive director at NASCIO. “It’s clear cloud services have become a critical component of the state CIO operational portfolio.”

/
DIU Awards 3 Contracts for Long Duration Energy Storage System Prototypes
Published on
DIU Awards 3 Contracts for Long Duration Energy Storage System Prototypes

Three companies — CellCube, Dannar and Redflow — have secured contracts from the Defense Innovation Unit to install and test long-duration energy storage system prototypes at U.S. military installations.

The contracts were awarded under the Extended Duration for Storage Installations project to build resilient backup power systems designed to increase minimum power threshold and uptime for Department of Defense installations and operational energy platforms, DIU said Tuesday.

CellCube is slated to deliver its megawatt-scale vanadium redox flow battery technology to connect and balance base energy systems for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

Dannar will install four models of distribution-class mobile power systems at two U.S. Air Force installations to support energy needs for electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle operations.

The Air Force plans to trial Redflow’s megawatt-scale zinc-bromine flow battery and control system at a site where extended storage hardware will link with microgrid software to enable multiple onsite systems integration.

Navy Names Future Nuclear-Powered Attack Submarine After San Francisco; Carlos Del Toro Quoted
Published on
Navy Names Future Nuclear-Powered Attack Submarine After San Francisco; Carlos Del Toro Quoted

The U.S. Navy has named its newest Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine after the city of San Francisco.

Carlos Del Toro, secretary of the Navy and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, announced the name of SSN 810 during Fleet Week in San Francisco, the service branch said Tuesday.

“The future USS San Francisco, once commissioned, will be our nation’s newest Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine. USS San Francisco will build upon the legacy of her namesakes, and will no doubt represent the people of this city and our nation with honor wherever she may sail,” Del Toro declared.

SSN 810 is the fourth naval vessel to be named for San Francisco. San Francisco I was a steel-protected cruiser that blockaded Havana, Cuba, during the Spanish-American War and was designated as a mine planter in the North Sea during World War I.

The second San Francisco was a heavy cruiser that participated in World War II operations and engagements at Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal, Guam, the Marshall Islands and Okinawa.

The USS San Francisco (SSN-711), a Los Angeles-class nuclear submarine, was the third vessel to bear the name.

1 … 455 456 457 458 459 … 2,621